Saigon Tea vs. Oriental Lady

Published: 25 Jul 2014

The match race of the day takes place in Race 3 today at Kensington over the staying trip of 2400m. Two up-and-coming mares line up in a small field and they both dominate the market with quite different form-lines and profiles.

So what will make the different in determining the result?

Oriental Lady

Oriental Lady's frame is typical of a stayer

Type
A lean and light mare with a bounding action. She is an efficient stayer with scope to improve. Pure stamina flows through her frame and she will be very tough to run down if she can pinch a break leading into the home straight.

Form
Showed staying quality in black-type German races before embarking on her first campaign in Australia. She started steadily before two strong performances in her last two events, proving that she can run her opposition into the ground.

Saigon Tea

Saigon Tea, with more strength to her fore-quarter

Type
Toned muscle on athletic frame. She is an efficient middle-distance type with good scope to improve. Has slightly more power than Oriental Lady, which could be a key strength if within striking distance over the last 300m.

Form
Waller has taken a typically patient preparation with this mare, building her up in distance and she has been very consistent over the 2000m distance range in recent starts. Her form is a higher level than Oriental Lady and she had some bad luck last start behind Specific Choice.

The Verdict

The added pressure of other leaders in the race, including Tohunga, may make the task for Oriental Lady a tough one. Saigon Tea the tip to win, but don’t be surprised if the German mare steals it.